Mr Darn

Are we changing the poll to multiple choice? or leaving it as is? I just cant say i prefer one over the other i use, i just know i dont use IE.

I was actually refering to the evolution, not a direct comparrison. to be clear, i ment Vista is as bad an upgrade from XP as melenium was a bad upgrade from '98. i.e. both millenium and vista were poor operating systems. Most users kept Win'98 untill XP was released, and many have done the same this time, completly missing out Vista. I only used it because i was forced too when i got the laptop, and they did not have drivers for XP. That machine is now Win7, even though drivers 'could' have still been an issue. i have found it was, but is now not. As soon as i have the cash together, my next project will be a gaming Win 7 desktop. No hesitation.

The "black screen of death" is actually turning out to be a malware issue on machines using Prevx, and Prevx was quick to blame it on a microsoft update. (see here for Wiki entry and see here for ZDNet article) As for the Windows 7 experience, i've used it for a little while now, and apart from a few driver issues that are now sorted (the manufacturers have since released drivers) its running great! Windows 7, in my eyes, is the same to vista, as XP was to windows milenium. 98se was a good operating system for its time, followed roughly by milenium, which was dead in the water. The same has been said for vista. XP was a stable OS, and was followed by vista, which was ill thought out, but had the potential to be a great OS, with a few good ideas. In Short, Windows 7 is what Vista should have been, had it been thought through and tested properly. I recommend it.

As a child, i found we always had somewhere to go. The bandstand was a popular hangout in summer, close to the water, not too far from shops, and we could be as loud as we liked. The park down humford was another place, with a short walk to the Dam. The stepping stones, i remember, have taken many a shin as we tried to jump over, missing one and reaching the third The park behind the Football Club (the name of which escapes me for some reason!) is kitted out with a skate park, a 5 aside area and a load of other stuff for "!*!@# ing about on" once the younger kids had left, and i have fond memories of Charlie the parkie chatting to us for hours on end. He's still a good friend now! Then theres the plantation, we spent hours in there, out the way. Granted thats where we ended up experementing with tabs, drink and drugs, once we got older, but it still had a few years of honest fun making camps and stuff. Just beside that is the Pit Heaps with the football pitches at the bottom, but the 2 paths to the top were the most fun, on bikes in summer and sledges in the winter. (or rainy days, if the ground was wet enough!) I still have a scar from my first attempt at "the back path" (leading to Barrington Road) on a BMX with no brakes Rolling on, we have the ample areas of West Lea pitches and park, as well as the graveyard trees (although we did get chased from there quite often, why i'm not sure.) Then, my favorite haunt (coz i lived there!) was Red House Farm back field. The goal posts didn't match up, and the pitch was on a 45 degree angle, but it was ours, and out the way. the bushes at the bottom made great hides and camps, and filled with rainwater around this time of year. Frogspawn Galore!! We also got together with other groups of kids, and creating a mini football league. i remember playing against kids from West Lea (although we joined forces in the end, coz we both kept getting beat!) Northumberland Ave lot, the chesters, and even a team from beatty road way once over I've forgotten more games than i see played now too, my favourites including Kerbsie, British Bulldogs and Hide and Seak. I never see these played now. Those that couldnt afford a football got carrier bags, stuffed them with newspaper and tied the handles for a makeshift rugby ball. Mind, even with all that, we still winged we had nothing to do, and nowhere to go!

so how do we turn it on?

Especially the snow! the kids love the fact it follows the mouse! lol

cambois.bmp you mean here? http://www.multimap.com/s/i5UqMyq6

Did anyone notice the snow??

Do we have a Facebook Café fan here??

By 'cracked' i mean the physical disk i have for the machine has a crack in it. I still have the product key here, so all i need is the disk. XP Pro will not do, as the product key won't work. I can upgrade it to Vista, but i doubt its worth the trouble. its an old machine, and i dont really want to pay for the vista key just to sort out driver issues. Just need to format back to XP, so a lend of a disk will do, or a copy of an origional disk, as i dont need a key.

I'm needing a copy of XP home to reinstall in an old computer for testing. Mines cracked! Anyone have one spare, or know where i can obtain one cheap? Thanks in advance.

Post your gaming cheets here, or better still, create a new topic -per-game- and post all cheats there... this has to be a v isitor puller!

i concur, tommy the baldy bloke who drives an escort should do it this year, with Michael from the football club in tow.

Unfortunatly not, i just do lamp posts! It may, however, have been the last crashing place of that bloke trying to cross continents with a "wing"

If only a website had a section dedicated to the local community in issues such as this, where one could place a "Wanted" advert and await suggestions... Oh well.

@Blank If you can prove you cancelled the direct debit, you would always get it back. Banks just hope you roll over and accept it. Good on you for perseverance! @Monsta I regularly get interest payments now. Granted its only a few pence, but its better in my pocket than theres!

If you stay within your limits, and plan well, bank accounts are free at the moment. Its your mistakes that makes them cost you. I believe a choice should be made: either a free account with bigger penalties or a charged account where its not as extortionate if you do get things wrong. Personally, i'm doing well now with my banking, since i changed to a new system, so i'd be opting for the free account with higher charges. Dunno why i never thought of it before its cost me a fortune over the years!

Perhaps because it could be sending the monitor faulty data, and turning the monitor off then on clears it? Just trying the cheep options first... *Snatches dummy from air* Phew! Nearly!

I meant at ASDA, but point taken... ...then again, beer tastes like piss to you wherever you drink it, so its kinda baseline now...

Sounds like a graphics card problem, or could be the cable connecting the two. Have you got on-board graphics you could hook up too for a while to eliminate it?

I remember it, although i also remember thinking you'd need a motorbike to use it properly!!! I hope the new park is along the lines of the one at cramlington, with a propper bowl for the skateboarders too! Any plans posted anywhere to look at?

He could have, and has, said things far more personal and upsetting here. now i know, if he's picking on me, he's leaving others alone. Plus it gives me some ideas on how to extract urine at work, so i guess, thanks for the material!

The parking on that first left hand gradual bend can be dangerous at times, the way those youngun's horse their cars up that road. Get a speed trap set up there for a day or two! Same goes for the road leading from the ridge farm towards Nedderton. don't they realise there's speed limit (P.S. should this not be in TOTT?)

If its just troubleshooting your after, ask away. we have a good community base here.